The Laws of Magic
by uniquelytypical
Summary: Once Upon a Time AU set after the events of Quiet Minds so SPOILERS! This is my version of what should happen in the next few episodes. What if changing the laws of magic in wonderland can help those in Storybrooke get back the one's that they have lost? Swanfire shipping
1. Chapter 1

It had been 2 weeks since the people of Storybrooke banished Zelena from their world. It took all of their strength to defeat her and it left them all weak and tired. Sheer exhaustion shook them to their cores. The town had rejoiced and celebrated after the Wicked Witch had gone, but not Emma. Sure, she was happy that Zelena had gotten what she deserved, but what about what she deserved? Neal had been gone now for nearly a month and she just couldn't help but think of how things could have played out differently. She was entirely torn inside; curious what would have happened if she hadn't had used magic to separate Neal from Rumpel. It was entirely her fault wasn't it? Everyone kept telling her different. That she did the right thing. But how could it have been the right thing when the person you love most is lost to you forever? But no matter how much she wished she could have done anything else, she did not regret her decision. It allowed Rumpel to reveal who the Wicked Witch really was. Without that vital piece of information, a domino effect would have been unleashed. Her sibling to be could have been put in danger, Henry too, Regina, basically anyone who dared to even look the wrong way at the Witch was fair game to her. Once the town knew Zelena's true identity, there was nowhere for her to hide, making it virtually impossible to hide and escape. Sure she put up a fight, but she was outnumbered and out smart and ended up losing in the end. And with that, came everyone's memories of the past year. All that was left was to find a way back into the Enchanted Forest.

That was what everyone had unanimously decided they wanted. Emma really couldn't blame them. It was their home after all. She just couldn't make herself come to be excited about it. It wasn't where she belonged. She had lived here her entire life. It was familiar, safe, and comfortable. But it was also now filled with dread and a slight emptiness now. A piece of her was taken from her that month ago and she wasn't sure she could ever get it back. Not sure it even existed anymore. She saw little things in Henry everyday that would make her lose her breath. He was so much like his father that it sometimes frightened her. His eyes were exactly the same; holding such an intense amount of passion in one glance and being able to say just exactly what he meant with a simple look. His smile held the same joy, his sense of humor. The biggest thing was Henry's hugs. He would come in and see Emma staring out the window at her car twirling her necklace between her fingers and would wrap his long arms around her shoulders.

"Mom? I brought you some hot cocoa." Henry stood in the doorway for a moment, studying his mother. He worried about her recently, after everything that happened in New York and then showing back up here had been rough on her. They were both a little lost after Neal's death and it had been a slow few weeks trying to get themselves back together. He eventually sat down next to her on her bed and looked out the window with her. Handing her the small, white mug filled with the soothing cocoa, he gave her a tentative grin. He knew cocoa couldn't fix anything, but when you stacked it with whipped cream and dusted it with cinnamon, it helped ease any trouble. His mother met his gaze and smiled back at him, wrapping her fingers around the warm mug. Henry didn't know how long they sat there like that, keeping each other company, but they were eventually interrupted but a light rap on the door.

"Emma? Belle is downstairs. She said she found something?" Snow looked over at her daughter and saw the slight slump in her shoulders as she looked out the window. She slowly turned to face her and greeted her with a small smile before nodding that she'd be down in a minute. Taking a sip of the hot cocoa, she set it down on the bedside table before planting a kiss on Henry's forehead and leaving the room. She was actually kind of excited to see Belle. She was having a rough time too after the last few weeks, Rumpel too. They hadn't talked much though, both being caught up in trying to fix themselves that they both seemed to forget that they would probably both benefit from each other's company.

Belle stood at the end of the staircase waiting impatiently, book in hand. Emma came down and wrapped her in a hug before motioning her to sit down on the steps with her. Not wasting any time, Belle jumped right to her point. "I've been doing some research and I think I found something that you would want to know about." She paused a moment, judging Emma's reaction. Seeing little, she continued. "We need to go to Wonderland. There are people there that can help us."

"Wonderland? Like Alice and the Cheshire Cat? Are we talking about a way to get back to the Enchanted Forest? Because to be entirely honest, I am not even sure Henry and I belong there and I just don't want for him..." She was cut off by Belle shaking her from side to side, silently telling her that there was a bigger picture here. What could possibly be there for her in Wonderland? She had never been there. Heard some negative remarks from the Jefferson a few years ago but that was about it. Unless you counted the things she knew from storybooks she read as a child. Although, they were typically somewhat accurate to what was truly happening in the Enchanted Forest at times.

"They've recently changed the laws of magic there. The laws that Rumpel has to obey do not apply there and the limitations are thin." Staring into her friends eyes, she gave the last piece of information that she knew would make the past not seem so dark. "They found a way to bring people back from the dead."


	2. from the author

Hey readers!

I know... way too long. But I assure you that the next chapter is currently being written. My college semester just ended on Friday so now I am playing catch-up on here! It is coming! I promise!

Thanks for being patient with me! :)

With love,

uniquelytypical 3


	3. Chapter 2

Everything Belle had told her was now running around non-stop in her head; the words becoming all jumbled and beginning to not make sense to her anymore. That could be the caused by the fact that she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in quite some time too. It seemed that every time she closed her eyes, a pair of mossy green ones peered up at her. Those were the eyes that she fell in love with. The eyes that used to hold such curiosity and determination but all she could see now in her nightmares were them dimming away as if begging to be saved.

The first nightmare came the first time that she dared to try and get rest after banishing Zelena. She sat on the pine needled ground, clutching Neal close to her chest as he looked up at her; a pained expression cascading over his features. She cradled him closer as he nussled his nose into the crook of her arm, breathing in the scent of her for the last time. Choking back tears, she watched as his mossy orbs lost all light behind them as he drifted away from her; leaving her behind holding an empty vessel on that damp forest floor. Woken in a cold sweat, Emma knew that she would not be getting back to sleep that night; knowing what dream awaited her in unconsciousness.

Each nightmare became progressively worse; each time making Neal seem in more pain and eventually she could see something she had never seen in his eyes before; defeat. No longer holding the hope for a happy ending, they filled themselves with a deep, black despair as he seemed to not only accept his death, but welcome it. He would no longer snuggle up in her grasp, but attempt to squirm away from her as she watched him drift further and further away; as if he was no longer comforted by her touch. And as the nights went on and the terrible dreams continued, the more she began to believe that the way she was visualizing everything that happened now, was exactly the way it really did. She was starting to lose her own light inside of herself, a piece of her drifting away with Neal each night. It had become so much that she had begun to give up on sleep and instead began filling her time by walking late at night, watching the starry night above her.

She never went near that forest that surrounded Storybrooke. It held too many twisted memories and she feared that they would become even worse if she went back to where it all fell to ashes. Most of the time, she went and sat with Neal. The cold earth made her bones chill as she laid there next to him. With her feet stretched out in front of her as she lay in the dewy grass, she stared up at the dulling sky as the sun went down. How many times had she and Neal watched a sunset when they were younger; huddled together under a blanket as they sipped hot chocolate? How many times had she caught him looking at her rather than the sky as the sun drifted lower and lower in the sky; like he was afraid that she would disappear with it? How many times did she have to keep lying here with him each night before she realized that she would do anything to get him back? If what Belle had told her was true, that Wonderland had changed the laws of magic, then why was she still conflicted? Her heart told her to run off to Wonderland, do everything in her power to change what was not meant to happen. Her mind told her that it was quite risky to try and bring back someone from the grave. Some of the people here had begun to say that the way that Neal died made him a hero; that he died honorable. She didn't want a hero; she wanted her first love. With her mind made up, she stood on her feet with determination for the first time since she lost him and with one last look at his gravestone, she turned and walked towards town.

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With a new found determination, Emma practically ran to the town library. She was done with trying to cope with losing her true love. She was done with being told that she couldn't change what had happened. She could change it and god damn it, she was going to do everything in her power to give that man the happy ending he deserved. He gave up so much to help others and make sure that they were all receiving their happy endings. He had been abandoned, deceived, tricked, and used in his quest to save everyone he loved. And although that was one thing that she had always admired about him, it had ultimately come back to bite him in the ass.

Pushing through the double doors of the library, she spotted Belle in the back corner, sorting through the piles. Her eyes stung with tears as she watched the solemn librarian pour over her books. Her shoulders slumped forward slightly, head bent down in concentration. It was the same stance that Emma had taken over the past few weeks and she knew a broken-hearted woman when she saw one.

Finally noticing a new body occupying the small library, Belle looked up with sorrowful eyes that instantly brightened when she saw that it was Emma standing behind her.

"Emma" she gasped as she stood up from her chair. Looking her friend up and down, Belle noticed that this was not the woman she had seen just a few short days ago, but the woman she had grown friends with over time. The vibrant ex-thief was back with a powerful glint in her eyes that gave Belle a new hope in her heart. She knew that as long as Emma was on board, they would be able to fix the wrongs that had been done.

With a small nod of her head, Emma looked more determined and more hopeful than ever. Her heart now ready to fully jump into action and do whatever it took in order to bring Neal back. And it wasn't just for herself, she was doing this for Rumpel. For Henry. Belle. The Darlings. She was doing this for everyone that had a happier ending because of Neal's actions. But she was also doing this for someone else.

She was doing this for Neal.

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alright guys... i have been slacking bad and i do apologize. but after watching the season finale of SPN last night... i finally got the encouragement to sit down and write! next chapter, Emma will start figuring out just what all she needs to be doing in order to get to Wonderland and to be totally honest... I have no idea... But i'll start dreaming and it'll get written! I promise! all of my shows are currently on hiatus so i have some time after work to write!

be patient but it will keep coming :)

leave a review! thanks guys!


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